During the war, the number of women workers in the United States grew from 14 million to 19 million. By war's end, women made up about 35 percent of the civilian labor force. Actively recruited by war industries, many women began working in jobs that had been previously closed to them. The following photos show women at work in some of the wartime industries. What kinds of work did women do in these industries? Why do you think these types of jobs were closed to women before the war? Why do you think the jobs were opened to women during the war?

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